Sunset Rollercoaster
Sunset Rollercoaster. Courtesy of Sofia Lee.
Hailing from the land of bubble milk tea, pineapple cakes, and night markets, is a 5- member synth-pop band, Sunset Rollercoaster. The Taiwanese band currently consists of Tseng Kuo-Heng (vocals and guitar), Chen Hung-Li (bass), Lo Tsun-Lung (drums), Wang Shao-Hsuan (keyboard), and Huang Hao-Ting (saxophone). The band is recognized for its cheerful and laid-back songs from the 1980s, as well as their absolutely phenomenal performances. Bossa Nova, the band's debut album, was self-released in 2011 and received immediate widespread praises from critics (Sunset Rollercoaster, n.d.). Tseng Kuo-Heng formed Sunset Rollercoaster in 2009 with little to no expectation of the band blowing up and was initially created as a “trolling idea” (Peters, 2020). However, to their surprise, Sunset Rollercoaster not only managed to steadily dominate this futuristic world but also win the hearts of many Asian audiences through their unexpectedly poignant take on retro American contemporary soul sounds.
Genre, Inspirations and Hiatus The band began as a bedroom electronic duo, focusing on '80s new wave and Euro disco. After forming the real band, they ditched the computers and synths and instead, picked up guitars and basses to play some early rough stuff—mostly garage music that was from the 1960s and 1970s. They were heavily influenced by Velvet Underground, The Zombies, and The Strokes which shared similar lo-fi vibes despite coming from the early 2000s (Lourds, 2018). Main Vocalist, Tseng Kuo-Heng remarked that he enjoyed listening to Jamiroquai, Incognito, Lee Ritenour, Max Miller, and other hybrid jazz music, and also played in a shoegaze and grunge band in college. However, the band took a hiatus in 2011 for 5 years, immediately after their debut album – Bossa Nova, was released, citing personal issues (Anindita, 2018).
The band later reunited in 2016 following a line-up change that slightly altered their sound and musical direction for their following albums. With the new addition of a keyboardist and new bassist, the band gravitated and included more soul and funk, with a blend of 80’s synthesizer and jazz-pop to their tracks, making them dreamier and fuller (Anindita, 2018).
Courtesy of Sofia Lee.
Albums
Sunset Rollercoaster debuted with “Bossa Nova” in 2011, which wanders among blues rock, folk, and power pop sounds, simulating breezy and chill recording sessions (Peters, 2020). On the other hand, 'Jinji Kikko,' their 2016 EP, is a soft rock daydream with satiny guitar riffs, summertime tunes, and flawless composition. Jinji Kikko ultimately led the band to international acclaim, which gave them the opportunity to tour across Asia, performing to sold-out crowds in China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan. The Jinji Kikko EP a 3-minute-long song that fluctuates from serious, slow-paced, and suited for a prom dance track that mixes whirling saxophone, guitar riffs, and dense waves of synths to steadily develop over a repeating loop (Wilkinson, 2018). It also narrates the story of a couple who discovered they were in love, but it didn't work out, and a few of their adventures lead them to discover that they have the power to travel through time, in an attempt to find each other again (Anindita, 2018). According to Spotify (n.d), Jinji Kikko, is Sunset Rollercoaster’s most popular song with over 58 million streams as of date.
My personal favorite, however, is their 2019 EP, Vanilla Villa, which has three songs: "Welcome to," "Vanilla," and "Villa." It's a concept EP that clocks in at a little over seven minutes and is intended to be listened to from start to end. Vanilla Villa describes the tale of an alien creature that wishes to take the human he has quietly fallen in love with to a villa where he can unwind and adore her forever. Musically, "Welcome To" is like listening to background music while watching the weather forecast on Television; it's a soothing song with a little bass and synth. "Vanilla" sounds like an old country ballad from the 1970s, whereas "Villa" incorporates more soul, funk, and jazz (Martin, 2019). I absolutely love the fact that all 3 tracks bleed into the next, making it so seamless and just pleasant to the ears. Following Vanilla Villa, Sunset Rollercoaster released their third album, Soft Storm which explored the effects of heavy rainstorms on people. The album opens with a bright and dynamic instrumental piece that develops from light raindrops to a lavishly stacked synth composition (New album soft storm, 2020). The album eventually managed to clinch the fourth spot in NME’s 25 best Asian Albums of 2020 (Singh, 2021).
Growth and What’s next?
Sunset Rollercoaster's vocalist and guitarist Kuo explains that currently, almost all existing Taiwanese indie bands primarily perform the "mainstream indie" tunes of shoegaze, post-punk, and noise rock. However, what sets these bands and Sunset Rollercoaster apart, is that the majority of them sing in Mandarin, whereas Sunset Rollercoaster pretty much exclusively performs in English. This can be attributed to one of the reasons how Sunset Rollercoaster rose to international prominence so quickly. As they continue staying and growing together as a band, Sunset Rollercoaster promises to continue combining anything they feel like and shaping and sculpting it into a finished product that works well (Amirio, 2018).
Sunset Rollercoaster has a distinct sound that can transport you to wherever you wish to be in the instant, whether it's under a starry sky, a state of euphoria, or a different time period. They make music that blends into a peaceful funk vibe, which one would yearn and seek for with nostalgia within ourselves. They are truly a hidden gem in Asia's underappreciated independent music industry.
